Multiple-purpose stocking assembly



Feb. 16, 1965 J. J. FAVRE 3,169,540

MULTIPLE-PURPOSE sme ma- ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 23, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORi JACQUE JEAN FAVRE ATTORNEYSr Feb. 16, 1965 J. J. FAVRE 3,159,640

MULTIPLE-PURPOSE s'rocxmc ASSEMBLY & INVENTOR.

JACQUES JEAN FAVRE NNEL. BY

ATTORNEYS.

J. J. FAVRE MULTIPLE-PURPOSE STOCKING ASSEMBLY Feb. 16, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 23, 1962 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 6 Ciaims. (Ci. 211-126) The invention relates to a stocking assembly for various objects of the type comprising stocking units that are identical to each other.

One of the objects of the invention is to form a stocking assembly whose stocking units may be piled or stacked owing to their particular form, without said stocking units penetrating into each other, so that they can contain articles which do not run the risk of being crushed when said stocking units are piled without special care.

Another purpose of the invention consists of producing a stocking assembly in which said stocking units can be displaced independently of each other so as to afford access to any one of them, without it being necessary also to shift the other stocking units.

According to another purpose of the invention, the stocking assembly can be so formed that the stocking units are able to pivot in relation to each other or else that they may slide in relation to each other.

Still another purpose of the invention is to form the stocking assembly so that it may comprise any number of rows of stocking units and that access may be had to any one of these stocking units of each row, although these rows are arranged in close vicinity to each other.

Another purpose of the invention also consists of providing the stocking assembly so that it may be built at any point inside a piece of furniture, more particularly a cupboard, filing cabinet, or else that said stocking assembly forms an independent piece of equipment.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will moreover be revealed by the description and clairns which follow.

The drawings show forms of embodiment of the invention given by Way of example.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a stocking unit in the form of an open box, according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a partial diagrammatical perspective showing a method of utilizing a stocking unit according to FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatical elevation-section of a stocking assembly comprising several units as in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatical plan seen from above of an alternative embodiment of the stocking assembly.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective, partly in section, on a larger scale, taken substantially along the line VV of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective, partly in section, similar to FIGURE 5 showing a modification.

FIGURE 7 is a section taken along the line VII-VII of FIGURE 6.

FIGURES 8 and 9 are partial perspectives of two forms of embodiment of an element of the stocking assembly of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 10 is a partially enlarged perspective, partly cut away, of another form of embodiment of the stocking assembly.

The stocking unit according to FIGURE 1, is made up of an open box denoted as a whole by 1, of general parallelepipedic shape, of which the upper parts of the lateral sides at least are provided with wings 2, 3, of ap- 3,159,649 Patented Feb. 16, 1965 preciable Z-shape, that is to say, having two horizontal strips 4, 5 offset in height, connected by a vertical strip 6. The two wings 2, 3 are advantageously connected at one end of the box by a connecting part 7. Furthermore, lower lateral wings 8, 9 are also provided below the wings 2, 3, at the lowest part of the box, these lower wings being able to be continuous or discontinuous.

The box 1 is preferably made of plastic material in a single piece, but it can obviously be made also of metal, wood or any other material, if so required.

The foregoing shows that any number of stocking units can be assembled by stacking these units one on top of the other, the lower wings 8, 9 forming bearing and sliding surfaces, bearing on the strips 4 of the upper Wings 2, 3 and the connecting parts 7 forming abutments.

Although stocking assemblies can be formed by stacking stocking units in this manner, it is preferable, for forming such assemblies according to the invention, to proceed as described in that which follows:

According to FIGURE 2, lateral panels 10, 11 are provided, fitted with slides 12 on their opposite faces,

formed by two strips 13, 14 confining grooves 15 in which the parts 5 of the wings 2, 3 of each stocking unit can slide so that each of said stocking units is rigorously independent of the others inside the stocking assembly formed.

According to FIGURE 3, for forming a stocking assembly, a bossage 16 provided inside the box 1 is utilized in which a vertical hole 17 is made. passed through each hole 17 and this spindle is supported, on the one hand, in a socket 19, and on the other hand, in a sleeve 29 of a cap 21, which may be fixed, as well as the socket 19, on any suitable support, for example, inside a piece of furniture, on a Wall or the like.

When making up a stocking assembly, a distancepiece, or spacer washer 22 is placed between each stocking unit 1, whose height is sufiicient so that the bottom of an upper stocking unit runs no risk of rubbing on the wings of the stocking unit immediately below it.

Said distance-piece washers 22 can eventually be provided with stop abutments for limiting, if so required, the pivoting angle of the various stocking units, which as shown in the embodiment of FIGURE 3, are independent of each other.

According to FIGURES 4 to 9, an alternative is shown of the stocking assembly of FIGURE 2, this stocking assembly being able to be made up at any required point and can be easily dismantled. According to this alternative, four tubular columns 23 are used, and sockets 24 are slipped on said columns comprising, as shown in FIGURE 5, two lateral lugs 26, 27, diametrically opposed and in parallel relationship, these lugs being fiat and projecting upwards and downwards on either side of each of the sockets 24. The lugs 26, 27, of the socket 24a placed at the lowest portion of each one of the columns 23, project above said socket and thus confine, with the adjacent lugs 26, 27 of the socket 2 4, placed above, a space 28 which is used for introducing the sole 29 of sections or channels, which are T-shaped as in the example of FIG- URE 8, or include a groove 15a, as in FIGURE 9. By mounting such sections on each of the columns, slides are formed similar to those of FIGURE 2, and consequently, the stocking units 1 are supported by these slides and can be displaced independently of each other.

The use of sockets 24 provided with their lugs 26, 27 permits the stocking assembly to comprise any number of rows of stocking units, as shown by the dotted lines in FIGURE 4, by simply adding two columns 23 for each row. The heights of the lugs 26, 27 of the sockets are obviously selected so that the stocking units do not rub against each other.

A spindle 18 is FIGURES 6 and 7 show that the sockets 24 of FIG- URE 5, can be made in a single piece, more particularly by moulding from plastic material. In this case, the sockets, which are denoted by the reference numeral 24a, form, at their ends, lugs 39 diametrically opposed for confining the same spaces as in FIGURE 5, in which the soles of the sections of FIGURES 8 and 9 are inserted.

The form of construction described above means that the sockets 24 or 24a are subjected almost solely to compression stresses, thus enabling them to be made of plastic material, which consequently makes them very cheap.

FIGURE 10 shows an alternative of the stocking assembly of FIGURE 3, while improving the same. Actually, in this example, provision is made for the bossage 16 close to the middle of one of the sides of each stocking unit 1 and the spindle 18 which supports the various stocking units, as well as their distance-piece washers 22, is mounted at both ends in sleeves 31 which are on carriages 32 provided on their external face with rollers or balls 33 and on their two lateral sides with rollers or balls also designated by 33. The carriages 32 are guided by the U-shaped section 34 that can be fixed in any suitable manner on any kind of support.

According to this embodiment, each stocking assembly can slide in relation to the sections 34 which form guides in which the carriages 32 run, and consequently, all the stocking units of one and the same row can be moved, then pivoted separately, without the necessity of provided considerable space between two successive parallel rows of stocking units, seeing that the sliding in the direction of the arrow F of a row enables all the units of that row to be disengaged from the adjacent successive rows.

I claim:

1. Stocking assembly comprising stocking units of substantially box shape, all identical to each other, each of the stocking units having at least two projecting parallel lateral wings, formed at its upper part, said wings each having a horizontal ledge delimiting a slide, and at least two lower lateral wings parallel to said upper lateral wings, but of smaller size, and at least one internal bossage having a vertically drilled hole, a supporting element for positioning in said bossage holes to connect said stocking units and at least one set of separating elements for positioning about said supporting element and between the stocking units so that said stocking units can be displaced the one from the other independently of the units that are adjacent to them.

2. Stocking assembly comprising identical stocking units that can be stacked, each of the stocking units being formed as a parallelepipedic box comprising laterally and at its upper part, two Z-shaped wings, and laterally and at its lower part two flat Wings in parallel relationship with said Z-shaped wings, but narrower, so that they can be inserted in the Z-shaped wings of a subjacent stocking unit, said stocking units each being also provided with inner extension vertically protruding the whole height of said stocking unit, said inner extension having a hole, a pivoting spindle engaged in the holes of said inner extensions of said stocking units thusiarranged one above the other, distance-piece washers whose thickness is at least equal to the thickness of said Z-shaped wings also engaged on the pivoting spindle of the stocking units a a for keeping these units apart, and supports mounted on said pivoting spindle at both ends for maintaining the stocking assembly.

3. A stocking assembly comprising identical stocking units in the form of boxes, said stocking units having laterally, at their upper part, two longitudinal Z-shaped wings, and at their lower part, two flat longitudinal wings parallel to the former and narrower, at least four columns placed on either side of said stocking units, sockets slipped on said columns delimiting housings with the latter, sections engaged in the housings confined by said columns and said sockets for forming slides guiding the Z-shaped wings of said stocking units, the height of said sockets being selected so that said stocking units are not in contact with each other.

4. A stocking assembly comprising identical stocking units in the form of parallelepipedic boxes having laterail at their upper part, two Z-shaped wings, and at their lower part, two fiat wings parallel to the former but narrower than said former wings, at least one bossage projecting inside each stocking unit for the whole of its height, near to the middle part of a lateral side of each of said stocking units, said bossage having a vertical hole, at least one spindle engaged in the holes in the bossages of each stocking unit and at least one distance-piece washer also slipped on said spindle between adjacent stocking units, carriages mounted at the ends of said spindle supporting the stocking units, and fixed guides in which said carriages are engaged so as to be able to slide and at the same time said stocking units can also pivot around said spindle that carries them.

5. Stocking assembly, according to claim 4, in which the guides for the carriages are formed of U-shaped sections, and furthermore, in which said carriages are provided, on their face directed towards said U-shaped sections, with rolling elements.

6. A plurality of stocking units for stacking one direct- 1y upon another, each of said units being of substantially box shape and all being substantially identical to each other, each of said stocking units having at least two projecting parallel lateral wings of stepped shape formed at its upper part, said wings having a horizontal ledge delimiting a slide, at least two lateral wings of smaller size formed at the lower part of each unit for seating within and sliding in the steps of said upper lateral wings of a subjacent unit when the units are directly stacked, and an internal boss in each unit having a vertically drilled hole adapted to receive a vertical, pivotal supporting element and a set of separating elements for alternatively connecting said stocking units in superposed spaced positions so that said stocking units can be pivotally displaced the one from the other independently of the adjacent units.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,289,657 12/18 Cheney 312-201 1,554,818 9/25 Greenstreet 312-326 1,682,028 8/28 Young 220-97 1,732,472 10/29 Hill 211-94 X 2,574,692 11/51 Davidson 211-126 2,775,498 12/56 Gettel 312-201 2,825,617 3/58 Morgan 211-126 X CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. STOCKING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING STOCKING UNITS OF SUBSTANTIALLY BOX SHAPE, ALL IDENTICAL TO EACH OTHER, EACH OF THE STOCKING UNITS HAVING AT LEAST TWO PROJECTING PARALLEL LATERAL WINGS, FORMED AT ITS UPPER PART, SAID WINGS EACH HAVING A HORIZONTAL LEDGE DELIMITING A SLIDE, AND AT LEAST TWO LOWER LATERAL WINGS PARALLEL TO SAID UPPER LATERAL WINGS, BUT OF SMALLER SIZE, AND AT LEAST ONE INTERNAL BOSSAGE HAVING A VERTICAL DRILLED HOLE, A SUPPORTING ELEMENT FOR POSITIONING IN SAID BOSSAGE HOLES TO CONNECT SAID STOCKING UNITS AND AT LEAST ONE SET OF SEPARATING ELEMENTS FOR POSITIONING ABOUT SAID SUPPORTING ELEMENT AND BETWEEN THE STOCKING UNITS SO THAT SAID STOCKING UNITS CAN BE DISPLACED THE ONE FROM THE OTHER INDEPENDENTLY OF THE UNITS THAT ARE ADJACENT TO THEM. 